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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · board · stem · bowl · game · band · clip · object

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. board — to get on
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. object — a thing
  7. game — a match
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. board — a committee
  10. clip — to cut
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a music group
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. game — wild animals
  15. clip — for paper
  16. band — a ring
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. object — an aim
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. object — to protest
  23. clip — a video
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com